<b>Tournament Description</b>
Coastal Carolina University Pickleball Club is excited to host the Carolina Clash, an official College Pickleball Tour tournament, November 14-15 at Pinpoint Pickleball & Golf in Little River, South Carolina!
<b>Dates:</b> Saturday, November 14 - Sunday, November 15, 2026<br>
<b>Location:</b> Pinpoint Pickleball & Golf - Little River, SC<br>
<b>Team Bracket Cap:</b> 32 teams<br>
<b>Challenger Doubles Cap:</b> 24 doubles teams<br>
<b>Registration:</b> $50 per player ($200 for a team of 4)<br>
<b>Spectator Fee:</b> $5
The tournament will include the College Pickleball Tour Team Bracket as well as a separate Challenger Doubles event.
<b>Weekend Schedule</b>
<b>Saturday, November 14</b><br>
9:00 AM - Challenger Doubles warm-up courts open<br>
10:00 AM - Challenger Doubles begins<br>
Approximately 2:00 PM - Challenger Doubles concludes<br>
1:00 PM - Team Bracket warm-up courts open<br>
2:00 PM - Team Bracket pool play begins
<b>Sunday, November 15</b><br>
8:00 AM - Warm-up courts open<br>
9:00 AM - Team Bracket playoffs begin<br>
Approximately 3:00 PM or earlier - Tournament concludes
Please note that ending times are approximate and may vary slightly depending on match length and Dreambreakers.
<b>Team Bracket</b>
Team group play will take place Saturday afternoon, with teams divided into balanced pools based on DUPR as evenly as possible.
<b>All teams will advance to the single-elimination playoffs on Sunday.</b> Saturday’s group play results will determine playoff seeding, so all Team Bracket participants should plan accommodations for Saturday night and expect to compete both days.
With <b>15 or more registered teams</b>, the Carolina Clash will be a <b>200-point College Pickleball Tour event and the tournament champion will earn a bid to The Nationals.</b>
If the tournament finishes with fewer than 15 teams, it will be a <b>100-point event and no Nationals bid will be awarded.</b>
<b>Challenger Doubles</b>
The Challenger Doubles event will be a separate <b>one-day event on Saturday, November 14</b> for players who are not competing in the Team Bracket.
<ul>
<li>The Challenger Doubles event is capped at 24 doubles teams.</li>
<li>Partners must attend the same college or university.</li>
<li>A player may not compete in both the Team Bracket and Challenger Doubles.</li>
<li>Teams will begin with pool play to guarantee multiple matches before advancing into bracket play.</li>
<li>The entire Challenger Doubles event will be completed on Saturday.</li>
<li>Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles teams may compete together depending on registration numbers. Divisions may be separated if registration numbers allow.</li>
<li>Medals will be awarded to the Challenger bracket winners.</li>
</ul>
<b>Spectators</b>
Spectators are welcome and encouraged! We are expecting a great crowd throughout the weekend and would love to have friends, family, students, and supporters come out.
There will be a <b>$5 spectator fee</b> for entry.
<b>Travel & Lodging</b>
Pinpoint is located in Little River, South Carolina, with plenty of hotels and Airbnb options throughout Little River and North Myrtle Beach. The facility is also approximately 30 minutes from the heart of Myrtle Beach and popular areas such as Broadway at the Beach, giving teams plenty of options for lodging, food, and things to do throughout the weekend.
Because Team Bracket pool play does not begin until 2:00 PM on Saturday, traveling teams should have plenty of time to drive in Saturday morning if preferred.
Teams competing in the Team Bracket should plan to stay Saturday night since every team will return for playoff competition Sunday morning.
We are excited to welcome college pickleball teams, families, friends, and spectators to the Myrtle Beach area and look forward to a great weekend of competition!
<b>Points and Bids</b>
With 15 or more teams, this will be a <b>200-point tournament on the College Pickleball Tour and the winning team will receive a bid to The Nationals.</b>
Points will be awarded as follows:
<ul>
<li>Each group play win: +10 points</li>
<li>Make the quarterfinals: +10 points</li>
<li>Quarterfinal win: +30 points</li>
<li>Semifinal win: +50 points</li>
<li>Finals win: +80 points</li>
</ul>
The maximum total points a team can earn by winning the tournament is 200.
If fewer than 15 teams compete, the event will instead be a <b>100-point tournament with no guaranteed Nationals bid.</b>
Point System Rules:
<ul>
<li>A school's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. team can all earn points for their school from the same tournament.</li>
<li>Only a school's top 5 tournament performances will count toward their point total for the season.</li>
<li>In March, 16 of the 64 bids to The Nationals will be awarded to the schools with the most points that do not already have a bid.</li>
</ul>
For more information about the College Pickleball Tour's point system, use <a href="https://www.dupr.com/post/new-point-system-for-the-college-pickleball-tour"><u>this link here.</u></a>
<b>Tournament Eligibility Requirements</b>
The College Pickleball Tour has new eligibility requirements for the 2026-27 season. Please review them before registering for the tournament. Players must meet all requirements in order to participate.
<ul>
<li>All players must be full-time students at the time of the tournament.</li>
<li>All players must have a high school diploma or equivalency at the time of the tournament.</li>
<li>All players can play a maximum of five consecutive seasons on the College Pickleball Tour. If this is your first College Pickleball Tour event since the summer of 2026, your five-season clock will begin with the 2026-27 season. You will then have four additional seasons after the 2026-27 season to compete on the College Pickleball Tour.</li>
</ul>
To read the full eligibility requirements for the 2026-27 season, use <a href="https://www.dupr.com/post/2026-27-season-college-pickleball-tour-eligibility-rules"><u>this link here.</u></a>
<b>General Tournament Format</b>
<ul>
<li>Schools will bring teams of 4-6 players to compete.</li>
<li>Each team will have 2-3 men and 2-3 women players.</li>
<li>Teams will play Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, and 2 Mixed Doubles games against each other to determine a winner.</li>
<li>If the match is tied 2-2 after doubles play, a Dreambreaker may be played to determine the winner.</li>
<li>Teams will play at least 3 group play matches against schools other than their own when possible.</li>
<li><b>All teams will advance from group play into Sunday’s single-elimination playoff bracket.</b></li>
<li>Saturday group play results will determine playoff seeding.</li>
<li>All players on a team must attend the same school.</li>
</ul>
<b>Legal Paddles</b>
We accept all <a href="https://upaa.unitedpickleball.com/approved-paddles/"><u>UPA-A</u></a> and <a href="https://equipment.usapickleball.org/paddle-list/"><u>USAP</u></a> approved paddles at College Pickleball Tour events.
